


Chronicle III - Greed

by airmanon



Series: Ten Deadly Chronicles [3]
Category: Evillious Chronicles, Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Gen, Multi, possibly mature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 11:56:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9606623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airmanon/pseuds/airmanon
Summary: This is the third of the Ten Deadly Chronicles. Five Nights at Freddy’s belongs to Scott Cawthon, Evillious Chronicles belongs to mothy, and the lyrics for this song were written by tensai-gaymer-mage. Again, it’s best to read the previous Chronicles before starting this one.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics by: Tensai-gaymer-mage

November 10, 1993  
At around 7AM, Mike and Jessica were talking to each other in the cafeteria. The two were discussing in whispers about how much of the situation they should tell Chris (AKA Phone Dude) while also eating breakfast. As Jessica (who was in a much better financial situation than Mike was thanks to some of the designs she came up with) paid for the food, the two had more to eat compared to Mike’s donut and water from yesterday. Mike suddenly remembered that he forgot to tell Leonsel about the flashback and face-palmed. Jessica put her hand on his to reassure him but before she could say anything, she noticed something, or rather someone, dash out from Mike’s shadow towards the pizzeria. Jessica realized it was Nightmare, and when she mentioned it to Mike, Mike raised an eyebrow, “Why is he doing all this? I just don’t get it.”  
Jessica frowned, “Maybe Mike this is something we shouldn’t worry about for now. He’s not causing any trouble for us, is he?”  
“Maybe not when we’re around,” Mike replied, “but who knows what he’d do otherwise?”  
Jessica was starting to suspect that her hunch was more accurate than she thought, considering Mike seemed to be reacting as if on instinct. However, she decided to change the topic a bit when she pulled out a sketchbook she had in her bag and showed it to Mike.  
“Ta-da!” she whispered. Mike looked at the drawings; they seemed to be clothing design ideas – both for men and women.  
“Considering this whole ‘Deadly Sin’ situation,” Jessica whispered, “I thought I’d make some designs based off of the Seven plus Despair.”  
“Hey, that’s a pretty clever idea,” Mike smiled, “I’d be rather interested to see how it turns out.”  
In the back of Mike’s mind, he realized that this also meant Jessica might ask him to help model. On the other hand, he didn’t mind it so much; Jessica never forced him to wear the clothes that she clearly meant for female audiences normally. As far as he knew, there were only two cases where she did get him to do so: Once was on April Fool’s Day where she tricked him into putting on one of the dresses (to his relief they kept it just between themselves). The other time was when she was really desperate for help since the ones she normally asked to help model were either sick or busy with things they couldn’t put off (but even then Jessica was asking Mike if he knew anyone else who could. He actually offered to model it himself that time to her surprise).  
Meanwhile in the pizzeria (specifically the Safe Room where the Springtrap suit was), Jill was introducing Leonsel to the thought-forms she conjured up to help her cope with her loneliness for so long: the Phantom Animatronics. Aside from how they seemed somewhat burnt in appearance and some missing limbs, Leonsel saw no reason for anyone to be scared, and even then he felt more pity than fear.  
Suddenly, Leonsel felt a cold breeze as though someone was entering. Before he could ask who it was, Jill chirped, “Ah, Nightmare!”  
Leonsel looked at Nightmare. He was wearing purple and black looking more like a shadowy counterpart of Frederick but otherwise still looked like a palette swap of Mike with the pale skin, ebony hair, and scarlet eyes.  
Leonsel couldn’t help but ask why Nightmare came. “Visiting Jill I presume?” Leonsel added.  
“Well that and Mike forgot to tell you what happened in the flashback,” Nightmare admitted, “I decided to handle it for him.”  
Leonsel decided not to inquire about why, but after Nightmare told Leonsel about what happened in the Lust flashback, Leonsel then said, “So that’s how it happened. I can only guess Asmo – I mean – Euthalia was just playing along with the demon thing.”  
The god then remembered something he wanted to ask, “Nightmare, if you don’t mind me asking: what did you mean when you said that I at least acknowledged Jill as my daughter?”  
Jill looked sad as she clung to Leonsel, who hugged her to try and comfort her. He realized he said something that made her feel sad. Lusender was about to apologize when Jill remarked, “It’s okay, dad. I think it’s best you know.”  
“But if it brings up a sad memory,” Leonsel asked.  
“Knowledge is power,” Jill smiled as she first looked at Leonsel, then at Nightmare, quietly urging him to answer.  
Nightmare nodded towards Jill before looking at Leonsel, “You see Leonsel, during the Lust incident, I happened to have rendezvoused with Jill in this room, and we both encountered William Afton. As her body seemed to have been based off of him as well as you Leonsel, we figured that he was probably her father. However, when confronting him, he denied it, saying that he only had one daughter who was long since gone.”  
“Ah, that must’ve been Beatrice,” Leonsel commented, “Did you perhaps explain to him your story Jill?”  
“I did,” Jill answered, “but even then he still denied it.”  
Leonsel frowned. He really made a bad choice of champion.  
“Hey Nightmare,” Jill asked, “Do you have time for a round of that Mystery Game?”  
“Ah, I’m afraid not at the moment,” Nightmare answered, “Maria’s going to try and break the other DeCiel twin out of the Abyssal World. I better head down there just in case. Once I get the chance, I’ll find time to play with you. Heart promise.”  
Leonsel raised an eyebrow, “That last bit sounds like something Ari would say.”  
Jill laughed a little, “Nightmare’s sometimes visited the Celestial Realm, and overheard Ari say things like that. That’s where he met Mrs. Afton and where he learned about this Mystery Game.”  
“What is this ‘Mystery Game’?” Leonsel asked. That question was on his mind ever since it first got mentioned.  
“Oh right,” Nightmare remarked, “I guess you wanted me to be here to help explain it to Leonsel?”  
“That’s okay,” Jill smiled, “I’ll explain what I can. If you have something you need to do, go right ahead.”  
“Thanks Jill,” Nightmare smiled, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”  
Jill nodded. As Nightmare left, Jill explained to Leonsel about the ‘Mystery Game’. Leonsel had a sweat-drop on his head as he asked, “Isn’t the thing that you and Nightmare are basing this game off of something that won’t come into existence for a few years?”  
“So?” Jill asked, “Ari and Mage came from another world, right? Therefore the Mystery Game is based off of something from their world. Is it really that big of an issue if it’s a few years early?”  
“No, I guess not,” Leonsel replied. He realized that this game was something Jill had fun with and since she wasn’t trying to take advantage of the anachronism for profit or something like that, he saw no real problem with it.  
Meanwhile, Mike and Jessica at around 9AM met with Chris at the park. Chris then said, “You two look like you’ve seen things. Though I guess it’s nothing too intimate?”  
“Nothing like that at all,” Mike replied, though he still blushed at how Chris teased the two. Chris laughed and said, “Alright, what’s the scoop?”  
“Promise to keep a secret?” Jessica asked, “It’s something the world would find too crazy to believe.”  
“Gotcha,” Chris replied. Like Mike, Chris was also saving up for one of the big colleges, but unlike his best friend, Chris was taking a job as a reporter, which was exactly why Mike was worried about letting Chris in on this.  
When Mike and Jessica told Chris about how one man seemed to be working to finish what the cult started back in 1523, the reporter’s eyes widened. He exclaimed, “Seriously?! Despite the Investigation Unit shutting the cult down?”  
“Jeremy told me that one member was still on the loose when the rest of the cult shut down,” Mike admitted, “That man just so happens to be the one the cult’s pinned their hopes on this time around.”  
To Mike and Jessica’s dismay, it turned out the news station Chris worked for was trying to get the scoop on the whole cult case. When Mike and Jessica told Chris what they wanted to tell him (which basically was only leaving out details regarding Leonsel, Mike’s relation to Afton, Nightmare, and the bits regarding Star Power), but they accidentally let slip about Maria and the Realm of Death. Chris, who in his own research found out about Star Power since he got one himself after a particularly dangerous mission he survived, then said, “Now THAT’S a story. Junior Investigation Unit member uses Star Power to travel between Life and Death to prevent a murderer’s plot from coming to fruition.”  
“Wait, you know about Star Power?” Jessica asked.  
“Oh yeah,” Chris winked, “wound up getting one of those Stars myself after escaping the remains of that mansion-laboratory hybrid when trying to gather details about the Virus Incident for another report. I mean, come on! The place may have exploded, but somehow there were a few ZOMBIES shambling around. Thankfully the one that looked to be the most dangerous of them all was in absolutely no condition to get up and start coming after me. I mean, geez! That dude looked like he was hit by a rocket launcher or something!”  
“Sounds like great material for a video game!” Mike laughed, but at the same time he felt somewhat sickened. He remembered Jeremy mentioning the Virus Incident a little and while Mike first dismissed it as just a horror story, Chris’s story made it clear to Mike that Jeremy wasn’t making stuff up.  
Chris laughed a bit himself, “Yeah. Probably would be one marketed towards older audiences though.”  
Jessica then handed Chris the extra brown chip she had. Chris then said, “So with this chip, I’ll be able to see the same flashback you two see?”  
“That’s right,” Jessica replied, “But most of the time, if you touch someone in the flashback, your hand will pass through it. Trust me, I tried.”  
“Tried whacking the culprit with your antenna?” Chris asked. He remembered Jessica once pulling that out aimed at him when he tried to ask her out on a date, but he quickly backed off and apologized. It was the fact that Chris took no for an answer that helped Jessica become friends with him.  
Jessica nodded. Mike was glad that the three were alone where no one would overhear them, as the Mist-Blue eyed male was certain that if anyone was in earshot, they’d hear Chris and the cat would’ve been out of the bag.  
Chris then said, “Don’t worry Mike. I know some of this people will find crazy. I’ll be careful about what I put in the reports.”  
Mike smiled, “Thanks Chris.”  
“No problem dude,” Chris replied, “but you should probably get some sleep now. Better be alert for work tonight and what-not.”  
Mike nodded, and after he excused himself he dashed back home. When he got there though, he was surprised to see Clarissa was there speaking with Jeremy and Fritz. Well, actually, it looked more like Clarissa was trying to get an explanation for why they were keeping Mike in the dark.  
“Just don’t forget to tell him eventually,” Clarissa replied, “Otherwise I might as well tell him myself.”  
“Mom?!” Mike exclaimed.  
Clarissa turned around and hugged Mike, knowing for certain that it was him and not Nightmare.  
Mike told Jeremy and Fritz about Chris knowing about Star Power due to investigating the Virus Incident. Jeremy sighed, “Chief’s not going to like the press showing up. I better get to HQ right away since your friend’s likely going to stop by and say hi. He’s done that before.”  
As Jeremy left, Fritz remarked, “I’m surprised Chris was able to hide that he had Star Power from us.”  
“Yeah,” Mike added, “He even caught Jess and I off-guard too.”  
When Mike headed up to his room to get some sleep, Fritz then said, “Clarissa that reminds me. From what I understand, Jessica was not among the victims of the ‘Lust incident’ that happened last year. Do you know anything about why that is?”  
“It’s actually really simple,” Clarissa replied, “Once the incident started, Jessica stopped coming anywhere near the pizzeria until it was confirmed that it was over.”  
“Heh, smart move,” Fritz commented.  
Down in the Underworld, Maria and Balduino were at the barrier that separated the Abyssal World from the Underworld. Maria left the Knife of Wrath behind, but Balduino brought along the Hand Mirror of Pride as part of the plan. Maria pulled out the Hacked Star and used it to unlock the barrier. Once she got past it, it would close behind her but she purposefully waited until Balduino entered before proceeding.  
Just as the barrier closed again, Maria glared behind her, “Tagging along, Nightmare?”  
“Hey, I see Sam as a good friend too,” the scarlet-eyed male replied, “I did promise I’d help get him out when the time’s right.”  
“I’m going to ask him myself once all this is done,” Maria stated. Balduino could tell that Maria was suspicious of Nightmare, but was okay with letting him help out.  
“Alright, better fill you in on the plan,” Maria explained, “Balduino’s going to use the Vessel of Pride to disguise himself as me to distract Javed while I look for Sam. I can use my bit of Star Power to pick the locks. Once that’s done, we get out as fast as we can.”  
“Got that idea from Nestor, I see,” Nightmare smirked. Maria cringed, remembering that. Balduino’s eyes widened a little. He remembered Maria told him about Nestor Archibald being a civilian who was caught up in the Virus Incident but proved himself enough that he got two bits of Star Power as opposed to Maria only getting one from that (but then again, he also remembered Maria having one before that incident). What happened to that brunette, anyway?  
Maria could tell by the look in her boyfriend’s eyes that he had questions. She simply answered, “I’ll explain later, but you better take this with you,” before handing Balduino the Hacked Star.  
Balduino nodded. He remembered Maria warned him that Javed would expect her to have that. As the trio went down the elevator, Nightmare asked, “Isn’t Frederick down here too? Shouldn’t we bail him out as well?”  
“His situation’s a bit different,” Maria replied, “He made a deal with Francisco, but I know Francisco is willing to let him go once the deal’s complete. I don’t think we have to worry about him for now. At this point, we need to focus on Sam who’s being held prisoner.”  
Nightmare nodded. Once the elevator stopped, Balduino used the Hand Mirror to disguise himself as Maria while the real Maria started crawling through the vent. Nightmare used the shadows to get through the vent quickly. Once Balduino got through the vent, he was starting to wonder just where they had to go to find his younger brother. Come to think of it, this place looked like something he should recognize, even though they were in the Abyssal World.  
Maria pulled out a map and showed it to Balduino. “Based on what Nightmare mentioned, Sam should be in the Breaker Room. Javed would expect me to be in the Funtime Auditorium so I need you to head east while I head west.  
Balduino nodded, “Be careful, Maria.”  
Maria nodded, and off the two went.  
Mike once again arrived at the restaurant at around 11PM, so he took a moment to check on Adam in Pirate’s Cove. He saw Catherine was with him. Adam shook his head, “Sorry Mike. Even though you and Jessica helped me out of that slump, I still have to go after you when the clock strikes 12. You’d have to get Frederick to agree to let you go and good luck with that.”  
“Eh, why’s that?” Mike asked.  
“We can’t seem to get in touch with him ever since this place opened up again,” Catherine replied, “We’re pretty sure he’s there since he’s still controlling Freddy, but he hasn’t responded beyond that.”  
Mike felt something was off, but he decided not to bring it up. He checked his watch; it was 11:04PM. He took a detour to the Kitchen, and he did indeed spot his mother, Clarissa Afton, there.  
“Ah, Michael,” Clarissa smiled. Despite how late it was, she seemed to be trying to cook something. Mike wasn’t sure what it was, but it smelled delicious.  
“Hi Mom,” Mike replied. He noticed that his mother seemed to have taken a cue from Maria in that she was using a bit of Star Power to materialize a body while she was using other stars to help her out with cooking whatever it is she was making.  
“Oh yes, I forgot to mention,” Clarissa commented, “Jill said that she was going to try and help out with keeping you safe during the flashback. She’s waiting in the Office.”  
Mike thanked her for the heads up. He dashed out to the Office, but really was wondering what his mother was cooking. It clearly wasn’t pizza, nor was it anything that he’d expect the restaurant to make. If he had to guess, his mom probably found some recipes while in the Realm of Death and decided to try making them, whatever they were.  
When Mike entered the Office, it was around 11:40PM and Jill was there. To Mike’s surprise, Leonsel was there too.  
“Hey Mike,” Jill smiled.  
“Hey… Jill,” Mike replied. He was having a hard time remembering Jill, but he did at least know of her thanks to what he saw in the Gluttony flashback.  
Jill explained to Mike that because Nightmare was going to help Maria out with something, she decided to help Mike out with the whole flashback issue. Mike nodded, but as he looked at Jill, he thought that Jill seemed even more relieved to see him than she was letting on, but he decided not to ask about it for now.  
Leonsel then said, “Unfortunately, I don’t know if we can do something like, oh say, use magic to grant unlimited power and show where all of the animatronics are on the cameras, but we’ll make sure you don’t get caught while the flashback’s happening.”  
Mike laughed, “Wouldn’t that use of magic be a Cheat Mode if this were all just a game?”  
Leonsel smiled, “Yeah, I’d say so.”  
Jill laughed a little.  
However, Jill remembered Nightmare warning her about Mike likely surviving, so she came up with a little plan. Just before midnight, she secretly had summoned one of her thought-form friends, Phantom Freddy, and he laughed in a way that imitated Freddy’s laugh. The chip Mike had in his pocket glowed brown and the flashback began. Just as Mike was going, Jill pulled out an olive-colored fan-like object and it glowed an olive color, causing time to freeze much in the same manner Nightmare did using Star Power.  
Setting: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, ~1980  
Mike looked around. Everything seemed to have been tinted brown. Once again he was just outside the pizzeria, but then he noticed Jessica trying to help Chris steady himself. The Mist-Blue eyed male hurried over to his friends who were just outside the door.  
“Jess, Chris!” Mike exclaimed, “You both made it!”  
“Yeah, man,” Chris replied as he finally was standing on his own two feet, “But this is crazy. One minute I fell asleep and then the next thing I knew, I saw this crazy brown glow from that chip and now I’m here.”  
Mike glanced at the Office; he noticed that Jill somehow froze time just before midnight. ‘Guess I’ll have to go through the entire night once this is over,’ Mike thought, but he still had to wonder why he heard Freddy’s laugh just before midnight.  
“Well, better head inside, right?” Jessica asked, “After all, that’s where the action is.”  
Mike nodded as the trio went inside. To Mike’s relief, Jessica already got Chris caught up on what sorts of things happen in the flashbacks. Chris then said, “So, since everything’s tinted brown, I guess this has to relate to Freddy Fazbear himself?”  
“Most likely,” Mike replied, “I remember uncles Jeremy and Fritz saying something about Freddy and Greed.”  
“Wait, those two Investigation Unit members are your uncles?!” Chris exclaimed, “You never told me this Mike!”  
Jessica was also surprised, but she didn’t say anything. Mike replied, “I didn’t realize it until after I got caught up in this mystery myself. I’m guessing they weren’t ready to tell me anything over the past decade.”  
Jessica nodded, “But surely now you can get some answers?”  
“Yeah,” Mike replied, “But Leonsel did say something about it being too early. I have to wonder why that is.”  
“Info overload I guess,” Chris replied, “Still, if Greed’s the Sin we’re watching here, then based on what Jessica told me of the other Sins, we have to watch out for the Demon Mammon?”  
“I think that’s the one,” Jessica replied, “As the Demon of Gluttony called herself Beezelbub and the Demon of Lust called herself Euthalia Asmodeus.”  
Mike quickly explained to Chris about how the demons used to be humans that tried to help the cult summon Leonsel in 1523, but that Euthalia remembered her human life whereas the others forgot them.  
“And right now Euthalia’s being held prisoner in the Abyssal World?” Chris asked, “How do we know that’s reliable info? For all we know, this Javed might’ve slain her by now.”  
“That is something I want to double check,” Mike admitted, “But I think Maria’s gone down there with Balduino and Nightmare to save another soul so I could ask her-”  
Mike covered his mouth when he realized that he mentioned Nightmare. Chris naturally asked about who Nightmare is. Jessica replied, “We don’t fully know ourselves, but he seems to look like a snow-white-skinned, ebony-haired, scarlet-eyed palette swap of Mike who took over his body on Mike’s second night, but gave it back when the Lust flashback ended. Maria also mentioned that he was the leader of a group known as ‘Nightmare Animatronics’. We thought it was too crazy for you to believe, which is why we didn’t tell you.”  
“Considering what’s been happening so far, I’d believe anything,” Chris remarked.  
Mike looked towards the kitchen. It seemed like this was one day after Chiquita first met Carlos but still before she died. Clarissa noticed Mike and waved at him hello; Mike waved back.  
Chris then asked, “You know that woman Mike?”  
Jessica could tell by Mike’s body language that whatever connection Mike had to the cook was not a romantic one, so she wasn’t worried. Mike simply replied, “That’s my mother.”  
“Oh,” Chris replied, realizing that he might bring up sad memories if he inquired further.  
Mike however noticed the three kids who bullied Chiquita in the Gluttony flashback (who were tinted brown in this one) seemed to have been getting scolded by another kid. Mike instantly realized it was Frederick as he was the first one besides his mother that wasn’t tinted brown.  
Frederick was shown with a somewhat darker shade of skin compared to the lighter shades he noticed with previous missing kids, but it wasn’t so dark that it was on the opposite end of the scale. Mike could only guess that Frederick was of mixed heritage. The 11-year old’s dark-brown to black hair was short (stopping just where the neck began) but seemed to have been slightly wavy. His dark-brown eyes, though young, showed a hint of wisdom beyond his years and a desire to guide those around him on a better path. He was wearing a school uniform, but it didn’t look like it was from a school that only the rich and famous could afford. Mike figured that Frederick was probably from a family that was middle-class but doing fairly well and likely was trying to ensure the best for their kids.  
As the bullies dashed off to another part of the restaurant, feeling shamed by Frederick, but also wanting to get away from him if they could, the male sighed. Mike could guess that this wasn’t the first time Frederick had to do this.  
To Mike’s surprise, Frederick looked at him, Jessica, and Chris as though he saw them for just a moment before dashing off in another direction.  
“Hey, wait up!” Mike called out as he followed. Jessica and Chris quickly raced after Mike.  
They eventually found Frederick had hidden in the girl’s restroom. Jessica stepped in. Mike wasn’t sure if he should go in (mostly because he was wondering if Frederick mistook him for his dad), and Chris refused to go into the Lady’s restroom unless the men’s room wasn’t working and he really needed to go.  
Jessica sat down next to Frederick and asked, “Are you alright?”  
Frederick then said, “I think so. I don’t understand though; you and one of your friends look like people I should recognize, but that’s impossible. You didn’t come from the future, did you?”  
Jessica paused for a moment to think about her answer. Finally she replied, “I’m afraid even I don’t quite understand what’s going on, but, my friends and I aren’t going to hurt you.”  
Frederick looked at the strawberry blonde and smiled, “Thanks. I guess you saw what happened earlier, right?”  
Jessica nodded. Frederick looked down and said, “I don’t get it. Why are those bullies always picking on my friends? First Jack. Now they make fun of Chiquita because of her appearance and Adam because of the scar he got from that accident. They even tried to pick on Robert except he told the teacher. I swear, the only ones they don’t try to pick on are Charlie since she’s the daughter of the owner of this place, and I.”  
Jessica did remember one of those pictures of Adam during the Lust Flashback. She then asked, “What was that accident about?”  
Frederick looked at Jessica again and replied, “Adam was practicing a stunt for a play he was trying to audition for. He wound up falling and got a nasty cut on his face. I’m just glad he recovered from it, scar or no scar.”  
Frederick stood up again and smiled, “Thank you, Ms. I needed someone to speak to about this.”  
“You’re welcome,” Jessica smiled. With that, Frederick scurried out of the restroom only to risk bumping into Mike.  
“Oh, excuse me,” Frederick said as he headed off.  
Mike raised an eyebrow, “He doesn’t look like someone who’s likely to be Greedy. If anything, based on what we heard, he seems to be trying to put his friends first.”  
Chris folded his arms, “I don’t know Mike. They say ‘The road to Hell is paved with good intentions’. I think it’s his attempts to help his friends that’s going to get him into trouble.”  
Meanwhile, in the Abyssal World, a ghostly image of a 19-year old male sat inside a dark room with wires about. Next to him was a ghostly man who looked to be about 25-years old with hair white as paper and wearing make-up which included what appeared to be purple blush-stickers. The 19-year old male quietly remarked, “So someone’s entered my flashback world, huh?”  
The 25-year old then said, “Something wrong, Frederico – I mean, Frederick?”  
Frederick looked at the other man and replied, “Shouldn’t I be there for the song part, Francisco?”  
Francisco then laughed a bit and replied, “I don’t think so, considering your unique situation. But that does remind me. I think it is about time our end of the deal is over.”  
Frederick looked surprised, “So soon? I thought you said you wanted 7 more days?”  
Francisco then replied, “I did, but I think in just these 2 days, I already figured out what I needed to know. As promised, I’ll let you return.”  
Frederick however glanced to his right at a room hidden behind a bunch of wires. His face went from glum to serious when he asked, “What about Samuel? Why’s he being held in there? He didn’t do anything wrong! Unlike me, he committed no Sin!”  
At this point though, they both heard some noises. Someone was entering.  
Back in the flashback world, Chris had noticed Frederick’s name-tag and remarked, “Wait, Archibald? Wasn’t that the same last name as the one civilian who was caught up in the Virus Incident and survived?”  
“Nestor Archibald?” Jessica asked. Mike felt uneasy hearing that name, as if he should remember it but doesn’t. Mike simply stated, “So in other words, Frederick here is Nestor’s younger brother?”  
Speak of the devil, Frederick was talking with Nestor. The two men were in a corner away from where others would be listening. From what the trio could hear, they were shocked:  
Apparently, 5 years prior to that day, Nestor was blackmailed by the syndicate behind the Virus Incident. Either Nestor had to go to that mansion himself or they would kidnap Frederick and take him there. Mike’s eyes widened. It got worse: One night members of that group did come to nab Frederick but the young one showed them the letter containing the blackmail and told them that Nestor was heading there. To their relief, the syndicate did leave Frederick alone, but that was still a scary story.  
‘Maybe that’s why Frederick was determined to help his friends,’ Jessica thought, ‘Knowing what it was like to nearly be a victim himself.’  
Back in the Abyssal World, in the Funtime Auditorium, a 28-year old man stood: pride in his stance, but impatient. Next to him was an animatronic that was currently on stage: Funtime Foxy. The 28-year old’s skin seemed pale, but unlike others, his skin seemed to have been naturally of a darker color but artificially made paler. His hair was a metallic steel color, and his eyes, while shown as purple, burned with a dignity and desire for vengeance that sometimes caused them to glow imperial red. That man was Javed Edwards, and he was looking at the vent.  
Out from the vent appeared to be Maria Fitzgerald, but it was Balduino in disguise.  
“Ah, Maria the Ace of Spades,” Javed greeted, “It’s been a while. Have you any news to report?”  
“Not much, but I have something,” Balduino replied. Thanks to the Hand Mirror of Pride’s shape-shifting ability, he was able to disguise his voice to match Maria’s too.  
“Go on,” Javed urged.  
“Those Nightmare Animatronics are as elusive as ever,” Balduino reported, “But recently their leader, Nightmare, has been spotted trying to help out the newest night guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.”  
“And why would he do that?” Javed inquired.  
“I’m not certain yet,” Balduino responded, “But this new guard has been finding himself caught up in the flashback worlds of the Deadly Sins.”  
“You say Deadly Sins and left out the Seven,” Javed noted with a raised eyebrow, “What is going on?”  
“You see,” Balduino replied, “There’s been recent speculation that the cult forgot a Sin back in 1523.”  
Javed’s eyes widened, “And what is this Eighth Deadly Sin? Do you know?”  
Balduino shook his head, “I don’t know. Most of the rumors speculate that the Eighth is Despair, but it could just as easily be Vainglory.”  
“I see,” Javed replied as he began to think, “For now, try to locate Nightmare again and keep an eye on him.”  
“Roger that Javed,” Balduino blabbed out.  
Javed raised an eyebrow before glaring. Uh-oh…  
In the Breaker Room, Maria noticed Frederick but she had to keep to the shadows. Frederick knew she was there but tried not to look at her in fear that Francisco was going to notice. The Azure-eyed brunette got startled when the bear animatronic in that room, Funtime Freddy, then shouted with a laugh, “I can see you over there in the dark! Ha ha ha! Come on out!”  
But Frederick realized that Funtime Freddy (and Francisco for that matter), weren’t looking at where Maria was. They were looking at the doorway. Someone else came with her. Frederick felt his heartbeat get louder as he recognized who it was: Nightmare.  
The ebony-haired male stepped out of the shadows, Star Power at the Ready. Frederick got onto his feet.  
“It’s you again!” Frederick exclaimed.  
Nightmare smiled, “Ah, Frederick. Good to see you. Still suppressing that one Star?”  
Francisco looked at Frederick. The electric-blue eyed male then asked, “You know him Frederico? You never told me!”  
Frederick didn’t answer. He glanced towards Maria and realized what was going on; Nightmare was using himself as a distraction so Maria could get Samuel out. Frederick then stated, “Sorry Francisco. I wasn’t sure if it was important to bring up. Didn’t you mention Maria was going to look into the matter of the Nightmare Animatronics and that you only wanted me to help you with information on the Originals?”  
Francisco took a step back. He did say that to Frederick. For that matter, Francisco noticed that Frederick’s eyes seemed to change a bit too. No longer were they Azure matching Freddy Fazbear’s eyes completely. Now they seemed to be mostly the same dark brown that Frederick’s eyes were when he was alive, but with bits of gunmetal blue speckled around the edges. At that point, Francisco heard the sound of a door unlocking. Looking in the direction, he saw Maria and a male with either Cloud-Gray or Silver-Gray eyes and hair black like a shadow but otherwise looking exactly like Balduino DeCiel step out of the room. That gray-eyed male was Samuel DeCiel, and this was an attempted breakout.  
Frederick immediately moved to block Francisco’s charge as the brunette shouted, “Go, go, go!” to Maria and Samuel. The two nodded as they raced out of the Breaker Room through Ballora Gallery. Once Frederick was certain that the two were going to be safe (and noted Nightmare managed to pin Funtime Freddy to the stage for a little bit with Star Power), he shifted his position to trick Francisco into ramming the wall before dashing out himself. Frederick wasn’t sure why, but he felt like a power inside of him was surging up again. Nightmare followed but quickly got ahead of Frederick. Ballora was on stage, but a 27-year old woman, Belle, was staring. She would’ve made a motion to try and stop the others, but seeing Nightmare caused her to be afraid, so she did nothing.  
Maria, the DeCiel twins, Frederick, and Nightmare all rendezvoused in the Central Room, the Primary control Module. Maria urged Sam to go on ahead, leading to Sam and Nightmare going through the vent to the elevator that would get them out of there first.  
Just as Nightmare was going through, Javed grabbed Maria from behind by her neck and started to drag her off towards the Funtime Auditorium again. Balduino was about to race after the two, but then Francisco came barging in. Frederick, acting on instinct and remembering what he saw Nightmare pull off in the multiple times the scarlet-eyed male snuck down there to visit Sam, somehow summoned a shield that glowed a gunmetal blue, blocking Francisco.  
Frederick then said, “I’ll hold him off. You go help Maria!”  
Balduino nodded as he hurried to catch up to Maria.  
Back in the flashback world, Mike, Chris, and Jessica had found themselves in a time-skip taking them back to when William Afton was murdering the kids. This time, they were in a different part compared to where Chiquita died at (and Mike realized it was a bit earlier). From what they saw, Frederick, despite being scared like the others, was trying to take charge by telling the others to scatter and try to escape. The scene was somewhat chaotic, but from what the three could see, Frederick was the last to die.  
However, the three visitors were horrified at what they saw. Unlike the other kids, whose death seemed to involve that pole-axe striking them down in one hit, Frederick had grabbed the handle, but in his attempt to yank it away from William Afton, the metal blade got jabbed into an open outlet. The electricity surged forth. Frederick was electrocuted to death. Afton too had been injured from that, but due to both letting go and some healing magic from Leonsel, Afton survived. As the Purple Man headed off with the axe, Leonsel sat down next to Frederick’s corpse. Mike could tell: this had shaken Leonsel up, but not quite to the point where he was regretting his actions.  
Another time skip. This time they found themselves Backstage. Frederick’s ghost looked like he was now 16. Frederick seemed like he wasn’t taking it so well as the teen spoke to himself, “I couldn’t save them. Isn’t there something I can do to help them?! Jack, Robert, Adam, Chiquita, Charlie, everyone…”  
But Frederick stopped talking when he heard a dark chuckle. Out of the microphone Freddy held was a man who clearly looked like a wealthy man with Azure-Blue eyes from the 1520s only with wings and horns exposing him as a demon. Jessica whispered, “Mammon, I presume?”  
Mammon glanced behind but quickly looked at Frederick again. The two talked for a bit after introducing themselves, with Frederick admitting his desire to try and avenge the deaths of his friends. Unlike Chiquita who was willing to harm Clarissa Afton, Frederick made it absolutely clear that he only wanted to take down the murderer himself.  
Mammon told Frederick about the Deadly Sins and the idea that gathering them all together could allow one to make a wish. He also told the boy that Afton was after that wish to bring back his daughter.  
Frederick thought for a moment, then said, “Since you call yourself a demon, I guess my soul is the price to pay for this opportunity?”  
Mammon smiled, “My, my. You are a sharp one. Yes, your soul-body is the price to pay for this.”  
Frederick smiled, “If it means helping my friends whose lives were unfairly swept away, I’ll condemn myself to Hell.”  
“Excellent,” Mammon replied practically giddy at a seemingly easy target, “But you realize that to Activate the Sin of Greed, you need to focus on gathering things.”  
Frederick frowned in a way that hinted confusion, “Since you wanted my soul-body so badly, Mr. Mammon, maybe it’d be best if you take over to at least show me what you mean?”  
Chris however looked in Frederick’s eyes which were dark brown but now had hints of gunmetal blue in them. It was hard to see from the angle, but Chris started to suspect that Frederick was faking it. He whispered his suspicions to Mike and Jessica. Mike then whispered, “Let’s not jump to conclusions here. Let’s see how this plays out.”  
As Mammon was distracted with getting used to the Freddy animatronic, Fredrick glanced at the trio and winked before looking back at Mammon with a face hinting solemn resignation to his fate.  
As the scene faded to black indicating a time-skip. Mike then said, “This is probably where the song’s about to start. I’ve noticed that the song usually starts soon after the part where the Sinner agrees to commit their respective Sin.”  
But Mike then noticed that Frederick wasn’t showing up. In fact, the music started playing with no word whatsoever from the ghost. Leonsel showed up just in time for the song, and after a quick round of introductions, the narration began.  
“Once, in a suburbs not unlike yours, there was an animatronic bear who ranked personal profit from the company he was the mascot of. His name was Freddy Fazbear, also called “The Entertainer” by later generations.  
“Now, let the show begin!” ”  
None of the Visitors expected that voice. It wasn’t Frederick who was speaking but rather Mammon. Leonsel then asked, “What’s going on here?”  
Mike then inquired, “Did Frederick trick Mammon into committing the Sin all by himself?”  
“If that is the case,” Chris joked, “Then man was that a huge Spoiler!”  
Leonsel realized that Mike might’ve been onto something though when Mammon began to sing.  
“A corrupted entertainer, who seeks to gain money, from the wealth of the parents.  
A friend to all the children, enemy to the adults, I’m the Master of the Stage.  
Even the worst of the criminals I will listen to, as long as they pay me.  
‘Cause money is the most fun when you’re in Hell.”  
“Master of the Stage?” Jessica asked.  
“In ‘The Theater that Connects Life and Death’,” Leonsel explained, “The ones who carry the burden of the Sins take up a particular role there. The Master of the Stage is one of those Offices.”  
Mike looked around; they were back inside the restaurant again. It looked like the same scene as what happened when Chica was eating food that she only was able to eat because of the Sin of Gluttony. The major difference he noticed was how the smell wasn’t present this time around. He realized that they must’ve been looking through another viewpoint. One thing he noticed was different was that he noticed that the Frederick he saw smirking previously was Mammon, his Azure-Blue eyes glowing. Faintly inside Freddy itself was Frederick.  
“The appearance, race, and gender, none of it matters, so long as they’re a kid.  
As soon as an adult comes in, even if they work or own here, they must pay my fee.  
By now, you know the company depends on me.   
If you want success, then show me the money!”  
Mammon started to approach Mike, Jessica, and Chris, but Leonsel stopped the demon. Leonsel said, “These three are with me. Go back to your post.”  
Mammon seemed annoyed, but followed Lusender’s orders regardless.  
“So sin is my only consideration,  
With this Entertainment of Corruption.  
If you want me to keep entertaining everyone,  
Then you will pay me the fee I set.”  
Mike noticed that time skipped again.  
Setting: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, ~1987  
Chris then said, “Hey, wasn’t this the place where the infamous Bite happened?”  
Jessica nodded.  
“For one of my poor robots, they can no longer function, for them, I need money.  
If I were to collect seven deadly sins, my wish will come true.  
The stage of Freddy Fazbear’s is opened once again,  
The children will laugh while the adults repent!”  
Mike noticed that Frederick was in the Prize Corner area without the animatronic he was haunting, Withered Freddy. Mike opened up the box and saw a Puppet-like animatronic, and a boy who was tall, skinny, and had black hair and really dark-colored eyes. Jessica recognized the boy as Jack. Thing was, Mike took note that the Puppet seemed to be working properly. In fact, Frederick and Jack also knew this as well; it was Mammon who thought it wasn’t working.  
“He sure knows how to fake it,” Mike said to himself. Frederick looked at Mike and said, “Please don’t let Mammon know about it, but I think Jack’s trying to activate the Sin of Sloth. I don’t know where Belphegor is though.”  
“Ah, that…” Leonsel said, “That’s a tale for another time.”  
Frederick nodded in understanding.  
“So sin is my only consideration,  
With this Entertainment of Corruption.  
If I want my friend to ever walk again,  
I will keep singing these unjust songs.”  
Another time skip happened. This time, another murder scene happened. Jessica covered her mouth and Chris simply said, “Oh gods” when they saw just who was murdered: Franklin Davidson (who tried to stop the murders while alive but was the first to fall because of this), Catherine Canary (who tried to help another victim escape), Benjamin Foley (Adam’s younger brother who broke in to try and find out what happened to his brother and the one who Catherine tried to save), Matthew Canary (Catherine’s younger brother who managed to stab Afton in the leg before suffering the most gruesome death of this batch of victims), a girl who only had the initials “JJ” on her nametag (who, like Carlos tried with Chiquita, tried to sacrifice herself to save Benjamin only for Ben to rush back to try and save her), Balduino DeCiel (who wasn’t able to injure Afton but was defiant to the end), and Samuel DeCiel (Balduino’s younger twin, who actually managed to get to the Office and grabbed the keys to try and get out before being struck down). Mike wound up coming across a hidden room. He saw Jill was trapped in that room with a yellow Bonnie-looking suit.  
“Jill!” Mike exclaimed. Unfortunately, it seemed Jill didn’t hear him. She climbed into the suit to try and use that to get out, but to Mike’s horror, the suit seemed to snap shut. Unlike the other victims, Jill left no blood, no corpse whatsoever, but he could tell she was trapped in that suit. Mike’s head dropped in dismay: Jill must’ve been desperate to get out of that room.  
Mike glanced back at the others and noticed that Frederick in Withered Freddy tried to stop William Afton only for Afton to shut down the robot and taunted “you can’t”.  
As the lyrics began again, Mike noticed another time skip.  
“A man who was dressed in yellow, yes, he did murder some children, but the show must go on.  
If I say anything, I can’t collect the sins, so I act like nothing’s wrong.  
The authorities catch wind, and the others cannot hide it, as they are leaking blood.  
The children’s corpses are never found.”  
Mike noticed that Withered Freddy and Mangle were arguing. However, he realized that Frederick wasn’t controlling the brown bear, but rather Mammon was. For that matter, Mike, Jessica, Chris, and Leonsel saw that there were indeed two souls in Mangle at the moment: Matthew Canary who wasn’t paying attention, and Maria Fitzgerald who was the one arguing. She was arguing in favor of taking more direct action before William Afton got away again.  
“An internal unrest broke out in Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. Multiple night guard’s bodies were found horribly mutilated, trying to keep the peace.”  
The visitors were not expecting this. Fritz Smith, who was fired just before that incident, had hacked the animatronics systems to get their servos overloaded to make sure the bots were scrapped. A number of Night Guards and Investigation Unit members that Mike didn’t recognize had gone in there to deal with the bots, but the bots were essentially out of control. Mike also noticed that Maria was kicked out of Mangle and was forced to retreat, but he saw that she took a certain knife with her. Jessica recognized that the knife Maria took was the same knife as the one Balduino used to strike Foxy down.  
“I rush into the place where my friend is laying, as the stage burns down.  
As long as I am with them, and they are with me, I feel so safe.  
If you were to go into the ashes, you’d see  
A small puppet and a liar whose name is Freddy.”  
Chris noticed something was different. Mammon was gripping the Puppet Animatronic, but Frederick was trying to protect Jack Mallory, completely ignoring everything else.  
Mike then said, “It really does seem like Frederick got Mammon to do all the work in activating the Sin.”  
“Sneaky move,” Leonsel admitted. Another time skip happened. Mike wasn’t sure where they were now, but Chris pointed out that they were now in the year 1988.  
“I woke up all alone in that place, it’s darkness conveys doom.  
The one who decides if you’ll be bitten or not, Master of the Backroom.  
“I will let you atone, if you give back your fortune, after all, you said yourself  
That money is the most fun when you’re in Hell.” ”  
Leonsel then said, “The Master of the Backroom corresponds to the Sin of Wrath, but why is the Sinner not the one standing there?”  
Mike looked at the cloaked figure. He realized it was Maria Fitzgerald. She had the Knife, which Mike guessed was the Vessel of Wrath, but he guessed that Leonsel meant that Matthew was supposed to be the one standing there instead.  
Mammon gave a signal to Leonsel that the Sin of Greed was going to activate right there and then. Leonsel nodded to acknowledge what was going on. Mike however, heard Frederick whisper, “Yes, I’ll give it all up.”  
Chris looked down; he saw a rather ominous barrier.  
“I embrace this Master tightly, and I whisper in their ear, my voice as clear as theirs.  
“You must be simply crazy, I won’t give up my fortune, especially not to you!”  
I attempt to escape through the door,  
But suddenly I find I am falling forevermore.”  
Even Leonsel didn’t expect to see this. Yes the Microphone glowed brown to indicate that the Sin finished activation, but Frederick’s Soul fell past the Barrier. Mammon, who was still gripping his Sin Vessel, had hit the barrier as he fell, causing him to lose Frederick’s soul!  
Not only that, but Jessica pointed out that she saw a Gunmetal Blue Star form and fall after Frederick.  
“Did Frederick just Scam Mammon?!” Chris exclaimed.  
“Taking advantage of Mammon’s own Greed to get the Demon to activate the Sin on his own,” Mike remarked, “But now what?”  
Mike got his answer when, just as Mammon got up wondering what was going on, Maria pulled out one of her Amaranth colored Stars which turned into a combat knife like what the Investigation Unit members sometimes had and struck Mammon down, taking the Microphone in the process.  
“So sin is my only consideration,  
With this Entertainment of Corruption.  
Even if someone does not  
Write some story about my sin…  
One day, I swear, I will collect with these paws,  
Those little sin fragments.  
And, at that moment, even Hell will become  
A Utopia for my friend and me.”  
Meanwhile, in the Abyssal World, Balduino saw that Javed forced Maria into the Funtime Foxy animatronic and was using Hacked Stars to keep her stuck in there before dragging her off to another room. The blue-haired male quickly followed. He saw Maria was placed in the Scooping Room, and Javed’s voice boomed, “This is what you get, traitor.”  
Before Balduino could do anything, the Scooper was used, wrecking the Funtime Foxy animatronic. Sure Javed called back the stars he used to hold Maria in place, but it was clear that the experience was too painful for Maria to even stand. Balduino rushed in and picked her up.  
“Balduino,” Maria weakly said.  
“It’s alright, Maria,” Balduino said, “You’ve saved me once; it’s time I returned the favor.”  
Balduino managed to get himself and Maria out of the room before the Scooper could be used again.  
Frederick and Francisco’s scuffle took them into the Funtime Auditorium. Francisco then asked, “Why are you trying to resist now when you could’ve just quietly escaped?”  
Frederick glared at Francisco and replied with a tone cold as ice, “Your boss ‘The Joker Card’ is trying to harm the one who saved me from the demon Mammon. I can’t just stand by and do nothing!”  
As Balduino was racing across Funtime Auditorium carrying Maria, he dropped the Hacked Star that was used to get inside, and Javed was hot on the pursuit.  
Frederick could tell from a glance how bad a condition Maria was in. He told Balduino, “Take Maria and get to the exit. I’ll catch up with you later!”  
Balduino’s eyes widened, but he nodded and hurried off. Frederick grabbed the Hacked Star and he gripped it in his hand like someone ready to toss a microphone. Imagining the Hacked Star as a Microphone, he looked at Javed, and smirked.  
Javed mocked, “What do you plan to do all alone? You’re outnumbered and even with that Hacked Star you have nowhere near enough to match us!”  
Frederick (who was using his real star to hold Francisco in place) simply laughed a little before replying, “About that Fake Star? Take it back!”  
With that, Frederick threw the Microphone-shaped Star right at Javed. The force with which Frederick tossed it was such that when the object (which normally wouldn’t have done anything to Javed since the Hacked Star belonged to him) hit Javed’s chest, he was knocked down to the floor. As Frederick predicted, Francisco rushed over to help his companion up instead of focusing on the ones trying to escape as Frederick took his Star back and escaped to the elevator.  
Once everyone was in the elevator, Sam hit the switch to send it up. Frederick was catching his breath. The whole experience was so exhilarating and he felt like his motivation was back. To his surprise, he saw another Gunmetal Blue Star appear in front of him. Samuel asked what happened and after Frederick explained, Balduino whistled, “That takes guts, Fredster! Glad to have you back!”  
“Thanks,” Frederick replied, but his smile faded as he added, “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused by letting Mammon run rampant.”  
“It’s alright,” Nightmare smirked, “Not many people are so daring as to trick a demon into doing all the work to Activate their own Sin.”  
“Still,” Frederick added, “Because of that, so much had gone awry.”  
“Don’t feel bad about it now!” Sam pleaded as he put both of his hands on Frederick’s shoulders, “You’ve only now managed to free up your Star and you gained another today! Please don’t suppress them out of guilt again!”  
“Ah ha ha!” Frederick laughed a little, “I guess you’re right Sam. Besides, we still have a murderer’s plot to stop!”  
This lead to a nervous chuckle from Balduino. “About that,” Balduino stated, “Maria and I already got almost all of the Vessels safely put away. All we need is the Vessel of Envy and possibly an Eighth Vessel and we’ll be good to go.”  
“Eh?” went Frederick surprised, “I’d be interested to know what happened, but first we better help out Maria.”  
Luckily for the group, the Barrier was only acting in one direction, so everyone was able to walk out of the Barrier with no problems. As Balduino raced back to the Theater, he suddenly noticed that Frederick seemed to vanish. Nightmare then said, “I’m guessing there’s a flashback going on that he’s needed for. Don’t worry. He’ll be back soon.”  
Sam smiled, “Thanks for helping us out there Nightmare.”  
Meanwhile, back in the flashback world, Mike was getting uneasy. Sure it was still just before midnight in the Office thanks to Jill’s time-freeze, but the flashback hadn’t ended despite the song doing so. Right now he, Chris, Jessica, and Leonsel were standing in a black void with only patches of brown tint about.  
“This is unusual,” Leonsel remarked, “Maybe I should-”  
“Sorry for the holdup!” called a voice. The four turned around, it was Frederick who took a moment to catch his breath. It was clear to everyone though that the 20-year old looking male was in a nasty fight of some kind.  
“Are you Frederick Archibald?” Jessica asked.  
“Indeed I am, Ms. Davidson,” Frederick replied after he finally caught his breath.  
Unlike some of the other child victims, Frederick did recognize Jessica and Mike. Mike then asked, “Just what happened?”  
“It’s… a long story,” Frederick replied, “As you may have noticed, I did trick Mammon into being the one corrupted by Greed as opposed to myself.”  
“Yeah, you even got a bit of Star Power out of it!” Chris exclaimed before asking, “But why were you in the Abyssal World this whole time?”  
“Well, truth is,” Frederick admitted, “After I fell down there, I realized just how much harm I was causing because of that plan. I wound up suppressing that star in the process.”  
“In other words,” Leonsel asked, “Your regret prevented you from accessing that power you had?”  
Frederick nodded, “I wound up meeting a man named Francisco who offered me a chance to control the animatronic I once haunted again if I let him gather information. I agreed, unsure of how to atone for what I did. Truth is, I think he was taking advantage of me. I tried to ask him questions too, but his responses were either just short bits to answer what I asked or acting like he didn’t know. In hindsight I think he knew all along but just didn’t want to answer.”  
“But it looks like you got that star back, and then earned another,” Jessica pointed out.  
“That was just earlier today,” Frederick explained, “Maria, Balduino, and Nightmare came down to save Sam who was trapped down there. Seeing how they were working together, I knew I had to do something too.”  
Mike was uneasy, “Is Nightmare really all that trustworthy?”  
Frederick raised an eyebrow, “I think so? He’s snuck down there multiple times to check up on Sam and even though Maria seemed just as suspicious as you are of him, they seemed to have set their differences aside at least long enough to save him. Is something wrong?”  
Mike explained to Frederick about his creepy encounter with that doppelganger and how it seemed like Maria didn’t have a pleasant meeting with him either.  
Frederick folded his arms, “Hmm… probably doesn’t help that Javed ordered her to track him down. I will agree with you though Michael that Nightmare is pretty effective at scaring people. Even I was uneasy when he came by as part of the rescue mission.”  
Mike then asked, “So Frederick, if you know I’m not the murderer, are you willing to perhaps take it easy on me?”  
Frederick’s reaction was a mix of exasperation, frustration, and amusement, “Sorry Mike. I’m afraid I can’t. I heard Nightmare mention something about you perhaps being able to set my friends and I free. If that is true, then you’re most likely going to have to confront Javed in the future. He may have hacked most of his Star Power in, but that’s still going to be incredibly dangerous. I think it’d be best for you to gain Star Power of your own, but in order to do that, I can’t go easy on you. Sorry about that.”  
“Heh, I can see that,” Mike smiled, “I’ve been able to reset before without Star Power, so I’m okay with that.”  
Frederick was surprised, but when he saw Mike’s amulet, Frederick could only guess that the object was key to this.  
Mike held out his hand, “Let the games begin?”  
Frederick was surprised, but then he smiled a confident smile as he shook Mike’s hand and replied, “Let the games begin.”  
With that, the flashback ended. Mike was able to get through Night 3 alright, but he had a close call in that he ran out of power. Luckily for him, the 6AM bell rang but seeing Freddy’s eyes glow like that had Mike on edge, and the look on Frederick’s face got Mike to realize that playing dead as Phone Guy suggested wasn’t actually working.  
As Mike walked out of the Office, he looked at Freddy again. This time, Mike could see and sense that Frederick was fully back in control of his animatronic body. The ghost and the guard looked at each other, and nodded in mutual understanding. Mike left to meet up with Jessica and Chris to discuss what they should do next.  
End of Tale

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Notes  
> • Again, I feel like some story elements are happening earlier than I anticipated. In this case, I was originally planning to have the part where Maria and Balduino go to rescue Balduino’s younger twin Sam happen in the Chronicle that comes right after this one.  
> • Speaking of that rescue scene, I originally was just going to have Maria and Balduino do all the rescue work, but instead Nightmare and Frederick both helped out.  
> • Just to clarify, of the five child ghosts who have haunted the Original Animatronics, Frederick’s the only one who has two Stars. It’s possible that Chiquita earned one when she took down Beezelbub by herself, but if she does have one, she’s never used it.  
> • In regards to suppressing Star Power, it can be shockingly easy to do.  
> o First off, as Frederick has demonstrated, feeling too much guilt and/or regret for actions, particularly those that relate to how one got the star in the first place, can suppress the star.  
> o The other major way in which a Star can be suppressed is if the one who earns it forgets their achievement. This is in part why one can’t just accomplish a bunch of smaller things to crank up their Star Power (and also why it’s hard for me to figure out how Clarissa Afton got 20 bits of Star Power – all legitimate – all major enough that she remembers them)  
> • You may have noticed a character named Nestor Archibald. That is indeed Frederick’s older brother, but his part will be made clearer in the next Chronicle.


End file.
